The disclosed subject matter is directed to minimizing the exposure to electromagnetic waves and non-ionizing radiation due to use of mobile appliances. This disclosure uses mobile device, mobile appliance, cell phone, cellular phone, wireless phone, wireless device, mobile phone and mobile radio, as well as phone, telephone, cell and radio interchangeably and the use of such terms is not exclusive and is intended to encompass all communication devices and apparatuses that transmit radio waves during communications and are held or located in close proximity to the user.
Microwaves are absorbed by living tissues at 24 times the rate of their absorption by pure water. While the Specific Absorption rate, one standard by which cellular microwave absorption by the body is commonly measure, is typically based upon a penetration through an inert emulation of a human head, competent experimental work indicates that the level of absorption in living tissue is many times greater than the level of microwave absorption through an inert liquid, such as water.
In a 1983 article entitled An Optical Method for Investigating the Microwave Characteristics of DNA and other Biomolecules in Solution, by Mays L. Swicord and Christopher C. Davis, published in the journal Bioelectronmagnetics, experimental results were reported which determined that “A significant increase in the absorption of DNA solutions as compared with pure water has been observed that is consistent with microwave absorption by the longitudinal mode of the double helix”. Thus, in their conclusion Swicord and Davis state that: However, the results presented in this work are in good agreement with the Prohofsky model of acoustic mode absorption by varying lengths of DNA. Prohofsky and Van Zandt predicted that 450 to 2000 base pair segments of synthetic DNA should absorb 103 to 104 times as strongly in the microwave region as an equivalent mass of water with a decrease in peak absorption due to water damping. The 1.7% dilution of DNA investigated by PFLOH spectroscopy in this work indicated a 40% increase in absorption above pure water at 8 GHz and at 10 to 12% increase at 12 GHz. The measured DC conductance of this DNA sample was quite low yet its absorption coefficient was still 25% higher at 8 GHz than a saline solution of 20 times greater DC conductance. We conclude therefore that the observed absorption of the DNA solution does not come from ionic behavior.
The observed absorption is suggestive of direct microwave absorption by the longitudinal acoustic mode of the double helix discussed by Prohofsky and co-workers. Based on the concentration of DNA solution which gave 40% more absorption than pure water at 8 GHz, the microwave absorption of DNA at this frequency is 24 times greater than an equivalent mass of water.”
This finding that there are many orders of magnitude of increase in microwave absorption when DNA is present, may likely explain the considerable body of experimental evidence strongly indicating a relationship between long term mobile device use, and diseases involving DNA strand abnormality, such as brain cancer. As, due to the Inverse Square Law, the strength of a radio broadcast or any point source or radial field will be inverse to the square of the distance from the source, exposure levels will diminish rapidly with distance, and a device which occasions increased distance will thereby reduce signal strength absorbed by the human head.
Scientific studies [i.e, H. Lai et al, from the University of Washington, 1984, 1988, and as presented in 1998, Vienna, Austria, and 2009 in Stavanger, Norway; O. Johansson, Associate Professor, Dept. of Neuroscience of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, and Professor, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, as presented in 2009 at Stavanger, Norway; Carl F. Blackman a founder of the Bioelectromagnetics Society, as presented in 2009, at Stavanger, Norway; Martin Blank, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Columbia University, as presented in 2009 Stavanger, Norway, Franz Adlkofer, M.D., doctorate from the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry as presented at Stavanger Norway, 2009, also the following presenters at the International EMF Conference 2009 at Stavanger, Norway: Lukas h. Margaritis, Ph.D., Greece; Elihu D. Richter, MD, M.P.H., Israel; Alvaro Agusto A. de Salles, Ph.D., Brazil; Fredrik Soderqvist, Ph.D., Sweden, Yuri G. Grigoriev M.D. Sci., Russia; Anton V. Merkulov Ph.D., Russia] have shown potential health risks, in some instances showing DNA breakage, as associated with human exposure to non-ionizing radio wave sources, including but not limited to those emitted from mobile telephone devices and handsets, including but not limited to cellular telephones, satellite telephones, cordless telephones, and also portable computers, including those equipped with wi fi connectivity capacity. Continuing research supports that such health risks as may be associated with proximity to non-ionizing radiation will be reduced if level of exposure is reduced.
As used here, the term “non-ionizing radiation,” is in reference to types and frequencies of radiation which do not have the capacity to force electron shifting at an atomic level, including with molecular effect. As used here, the term “ionizing radiation” is in reference to types and frequencies of radiation which do have the capacity to force electron shifting at an atomic level, including with molecular effect.
Microwave devices, including variants of mobile and portable telephone devices broadcast electromagnetic waves, including but not limited to the radio waves which serve as conduit for the transmission of information, by modulation of amperage or frequency or varying combinations thereof. As discussed above there is competent scientific data indicating that information carrying microwave broadcast near the human body will result in DNA damage and can result in the formation of cancers.
Recent research has shown that cellular telephones, at a distance from observed sperm samples consistent with the typical distance from a cellular phone to a male's testicles, if the mobile phone is held in the front pocket, will result in a fifty percent reduction in live sperm in the samples, according to Ashok Agarwal, PhD, head of the andrology laboratory and the director of the center for reproductive medicine at the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at the very prestigious Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
The Cleveland researchers collected semen samples from 32 men and divided each man's sample into two parts. They placed half of the semen samples 2.5 centimeters away from a 850 MHz frequency cell phone in talk mode for one hours. Most cell phones used in the U.S. are 850-900 MHz. They chose this distance because it is the typical distance between the testes and the trouser pockets. According to Web MD, where a report on this study can be found previous research from the same group showed that radio frequency electromagnetic waves emitted from cell phones can impair sperm quality, and the new study shows why this may occur. Semen exposed to radio frequency electromagnetic waves emitted from cell phones had higher levels of damaging free radicals, lower sperm motility (the ability of the sperm to move and swim) and sperm viability (the percentage of live sperm), and possibly greater oxidative stress, the Cleveland study shows.
Earlier reporting to the same effect by these Cleveland researchers was sufficiently credible that their findings in this area have been published through the NIH. In the just referenced NIH report, apparently preceding the more recent work cited above, the conclusion reached was that the “use of cell phones decrease the semen quality in men by decreasing the sperm count, motility, viability, and normal morphology. The decrease in sperm parameters was dependent on the duration of daily exposure to cell phones and independent of the initial semen quality.
Thus, in addition to risks presented to the head and to the body generally, there is documentation from prestigious sources that the carrying of a cellular telephonic device in the “on” condition in the pockets of human males will result in diminished quality of sperm in those males.
Some of these deleterious effects have begun to be recognized and have led to some prior art solutions. These prior art solutions however are in contrast to the solutions described in the current application in that the prior art solutions are directed to controlling the emitted signal power level of the transmitter to reduce exposure levels. These prior art solutions include:
U.S. Pat. No. 7,499,722 to McDowell et al entitled “Proximity Regulation system for Use with a Portable Cell Phone and a Method of Operation Thereof” discloses a portable cell phone including a sensor that determines the proximity of the sensor to a designated part of a user's body (including the head), and controls the transmit power level in response. Thus the transmit power level of the phone is controlled to various “allowable proximity transmit power levels” depending on the vicinity of the portable cell phone to different parts of the user's body.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,146,139 to Nevermann entitled “System and Method for Reducing SAR levels”' similarly discloses a mobile communications device having a sensor assembly for detecting proximity to a human body and a controller to reduce the average power level of the communication device to less than a predetermined acceptable level. Nevermann discloses that in some embodiments, the power level may be reduced only to the point necessary to maintain adequate signal strength, while in other embodiments the power level may be reduced as required regardless of signal strength in which case a communications link may be dropped.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,934,515 to Wallach entitled “Electromagnetic Radiation Alerting Device for Use With a Cellular Telephone” discloses a phone that is operable in different modes selected by the user (such as “near”, “normal” and “far” that are calibrated for different distances of the user's head from the antenna), a RF sampling unit for measuring the EMF generated by the cell phone's antenna during its active transmission times and an alerting unit (audio, buzzer, visual) that alerts the user when a predetermined radiation level is exceeded for the selected mode of operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,856 entitled “Mobile Radio Equipment forming Antenna Pattern to Protect User From Radiation”. This reference discloses a proximity detection device for measuring humidity or temperature and to detect the presence of human tissue in the vicinity of the device and to adjust transmit power in a directional antenna as a function of the data produced by the detector.
The prior art however fails to recognize that providing information to the user in the form of a warning or other alert may manifest a change in the habits or manner of use of the mobile devices by the user, the prior art approach fails to adequately address the problem.
In order to address the detrimental effects described above and obviate the deficiencies of the prior art, the present subject matter discloses controlling the distance between the user, specifically the groin area, by alerting the user, the mobile device is located in the pocket and thus less than a desired minimum distance. The advantageous reduction in exposure is realized due to the operation of the Inverse Square Rule on electromagnetic signal from cellular and other radio devices, in that there is a steep fall off of signal strength resultant from increased distance between the groin area of the user and the source of the signal, as a class, devices which result in increased distance between the user and the broadcast device will result in a diminution of signal absorption which, while situational variable, can be dramatic in practical effect. As described herein, the disclosed embodiment influencing the user not to put the phone in the pocket and thus maintain a minimum distance via alerts, interruptions and warnings.
These and many other advantages of the present subject matter will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings, and the following detailed description of preferred embodiments.